Preparing Your Home for the Perfect Shoot
Properly prepping your home can add up to 10% to your final sale price.
In the UK, that’s an average of over £28,000 extra in your pocket just for getting the details right.
Your listing photos are the single most important marketing element to achieve the FASTEST SALE with the HIGHEST PRICE.
The Golden Rule: Sell the Space, Not the Stuff.
When in doubt, "less is more" is always the best mindset.
If you have a garage, shed or even the boots of your cars, now is the time to make full use of it as a temporary storage space.
Your agent has picked us because we’re the best in the business and create amazing pics for hundreds of successful homeowners every month.
Our job is to deliver listing photos that help your Estate Agent get you the best price for your home with the shortest time on the market.
In a Nutshell - Our Top 5 Tips
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1. The "I Could Live Here" Feel
Clear all kitchen worktops and bathroom surfaces. Hide the washing up stuff, the massive airfryer, bathroom sponges, bottles and toothbrushes.
When surfaces are clear, the rooms look larger, and buyers can imagine their own belongings in the space.
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2. Let in the Light
Open all curtains and blinds to their fullest and turn on every light - including bedside lamps and under-cabinet lights.
Bright homes feel welcoming and spacious; shadows make rooms look smaller. If your home has great natural light we can make a big deal about that too.
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3. De-personalise
Remove fridge magnets, family photos, and trophies.
You want the buyer to fall in love with the house, not feel like they are intruding on your private life.
Let them see themselves living there, not you.
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4. Create Kerb Appeal
The lead photo is usually the front of your house.
Hide the wheelie bins, move cars off the driveway, and sweep the path.
First impressions happen in the first two seconds of scrolling on Rightmove.
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5. The Final Polish
Close all toilet lids, straighten the sofa cushions, and tuck away pet bowls or beds.
These tiny details signal to a buyer that the home has been cared for, building honesty and trust in the property's condition.
“My 3 bed semi looked incredible. It was so worth the effort to follow their tips. We we’re going to be moving anyway so a big declutter had to be done.
Our pic’s looked amazing, sold before someone else’s house on the same street and we got over asking price.”
Jenny - Blackburn
Home Staging Guide
The Exterior
We want the first photo people see to be perfect. Don't worry about the weather; we ensure every home gets a beautiful blue sky day regardless of the British clouds.
Cars & Bins: Move all cars and wheelie bins to the other side of the street and out of view.
Window Views: Look through your front windows, if you can still see your bins, or cars move them further away so they don't show up in the background of your indoor shots.
Houses with On Street Parking: A caveat to the above, please leave your car parked directly in front of the house. We will use it to "save the spot" and move it when we arrive to ensure a clear view.
Friendly Neighbours: If you’re on good terms with the neighbours, asking them to temporarily move their cars from the front of your house can make a massive difference to the final "Hero" shots.
Gardens: Grass cut the day before in spring, summer and autumn is always a winner!
“Cars should be well away from the house and Wheelie Bins should be completely out of sight”
The Kitchen & Utility
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so we want it to look showroom staged, clean, bright, and minimal.
Top tips for a clutter free kitchen
Clear the Decks: Remove dish drainers, kitchen roll, washing up liquid, sponges, and knife blocks.
Fridge Check: Please strip off all magnets, photos, and menus from the fridge door.
The Bin: If you can hide the kitchen bin in a cupboard or the utility room, please do.
Hide the Brands: If it has a barcode or a bright label (cereal boxes, protein tubs, oil bottles), it’s best tucked away.
Other Stuff: Oven Gloves, Tea Towels, Noticeboards and Bin Collection Date Flyers aren’t a good look ;)
“People want to see kitchen, hide the products, cutting boards, bins and washing up stuff“
Lounge, Reception & Dining Rooms
These rooms are all about relaxation and entertaining. We want to create an atmosphere that feels both spacious and cosy
The Coffee Table: Keep this 90% clear. A single candle or a nice coffee table book is fine, but remotes, coasters, and magazines should be hidden in a drawer.
Fireplaces & Mantels: Clear away cards, matches, and small trinkets. If you have a log burner, having it lit (or just neatly stacked with fresh logs) creates a great focal point.
Dining Tables: A completely clear table looks best, or one simple centrepiece like a bowl of fruit or a vase of flowers. Avoid setting the table for a full dinner, it can often look a bit "staged" and distracting.
Wires and Tech: Hide the spaghetti of wires behind the TV if possible. Ensure game consoles, controllers, and charging cables are tucked away in a cupboard.
Soft Furnishings: "Plump" the sofa cushions and smooth out any heavy creases in throws or rugs.
Pet Zone: Hide pet beds, bowls, scratching posts, and toy baskets. We love our pets, but we want buyers to see a clean, hair-free space not see a photo and wonder: “will it smell of animals?”
Seasonal Decorations: Always avoid any kind of celebratory decoration, from Christmas trees to Easter Cards - keep it simple.
“Show your space, hide all papers, remotes, toys and evidence of pets”
Bathrooms, Loo’s & En-suites
We are aiming for "Spa Vibes." If it looks like a pharmacy, it’s too much. Always polish glass.
Lids Down: Please ensure all toilet lids are closed.
The Carex Rule: Hide away plastic soap dispensers, toothbrushes, and cleaning products (especially the Domestos).
Style Tip: Only "boutique" style bottles or luxury toiletries should be on display. If it isn't beautiful, hide it. Ideally it should be pretty full too.
Towels: If you’re going to include a few towels they should match in colour be folded nicely and clean.
“Clean glass, loo lids down 🤢, no one wants to see your sponges, toothbrushes, loo brushes etc”
Bedrooms
Door Hangings: Remove dressing gowns and towels from the backs of doors. If you;ve got over the door hangers, these are great as we can flip them to the other side if necessary.
Behind the Doors: We usually shoot with bedroom doors shut, so please ensure the area behind the door isn't used for "hidden" clutter.
The Shuffle: If you are short on space, don't panic. We can shoot the landing first on arrival; you can then move any remaining bedroom clutter onto the landing while we shoot and downstairs.
“Make sure door backs are clear, landings are tidy, surfaces are decluttered and any large loose items are hidden”
5. Kids’ Rooms & Playrooms
This is often the trickiest part, but it makes the biggest difference to your photos. We want "Boutique Nursery,” or “Cool Kids Room” not "Toy Store."
Make Space: We know Squishmallows and Hot Wheels are loved, but dozens of bright toys on a bed or on surfaces hide the size of the room. A bed should be a sea of calm, smooth duvets and maybe one simple cushion.
Eyes: Toys with harsh colours and “eyes" (large teddies, dolls, action figures) are very distracting for the camera. It is best to remove them.
Bedding: If possible change the bedding to something muted in tones rather than bright Red and Blue Spiderman.
Play Kitchens/Garages/Houses: These stop the buyer seeing the room and just the clutter. If you have one, it's probably bright plastic, it’s best moved to the garage in advance or the landing.
Classic over Plastic: A few gentle wooden toys, maybe a single Peter Rabbit adds a nice dynamic. 50 plastic toys stuffed in every corner don’t.
“Don’t be scared to decultter - It’s time to get brutal with the kids toys, just keep a few stylish ones so its still a kids room”.
On the Day
Before we arrive:
Lights: Turn ON every light and lamp in the house (even in daytime).
Curtains and Blinds: Make sure they are all open and blinds are up.
Pets: Ensure pets are in the garden or out for a walk. Bowls, Beds & Leads away
Toddlers: Usually they are best spending a day with the grandparents/carer.
The Exterior: Double-check that cars and bins are moved. Is the garden ready?
Toilet Lids down: No one needs to see in them.
Working from Home? We need access to every room; If someone has work meetings or zoom chats planned - its best to head out to a coffee shop or co-working space.
Keeping things on track.
Our goal is to deliver stunning content that helps your Estate Agent secure the best price for your home in the shortest possible time. To ensure we achieve this for every client, we ask for your support with the following:
Preparation is key: When your home is prepped and ready before we arrive, our photographers can focus their expertise entirely on what they do best - making your property shine.
The "Quick Win" approach: While we’re happy to lend a hand with minor styling adjustments, our photographers work to tight schedules to ensure all our clients receive a prompt service.
Timely completions: To stay on track for subsequent appointments, photographers may need to capture rooms as they find them if the property isn't quite ready upon arrival.